1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image displayer, and more particularly, to an image displayer with a facilitated channel setting process and a method thereof. The present application is based on Korean Patent Application No. 2002-59884, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, as the number of channels for the reception of an image displayer such as a television set grows, it becomes more complicated for a viewer to input and record the channel numbers. This problem can be partially solved by performing an auto scanning with respect to receivable frequency bands and storing detected channels, and the viewer can easily detect and store the channels. Meanwhile, some of the European countries using a PAL (Phase Alternation by Line) method have adopted an ATM (Auto Tuning Management) method, which is to store information on receivable broadcasting channels in an image displayer and allow viewers to select some parts of the stored information.
FIG. 1A is a view showing an on-screen-display (OSD) menu to illustrate a conventional auto scanning.
As shown in FIG. 1, the OSD menu, which is displayed on a screen 12 in response to a menu key 11 attached on an image displayer 10, has sub-menus 21 to 24 including a channel menu 21, an image quality menu 22, a sound menu 23, and other menus (24). Upon selecting the channel menu 21 in the sub-menus 21 to 24 by pressing channel up-down keys 31a, 31b and then pressing a direction setting key 32b, the image displayer 10 scans all receivable channels as shown in FIG. 1B. For example, if there are receivable channels from 1 to 100, the image displayer searches for normally receivable channels by scanning the channels in order and stores the channels in an extra memory (not shown). The stored channels are called for in the storing order when a viewer switches the channels by pressing the channel up-down keys 31a, 31b. According to this channel scanning method, because channel information stored in the memory (not shown) is sequentially called for in the storing order regardless of whether the viewer wishes it or not, the viewer has to press the channel up-down keys 31a, 31b until the channel he/she wishes is displayed.
FIG. 2 shows an example of an ATM table.
The ATM table as shown in FIG. 2 lists broadcasting channels of Germany in numerical order. In case that such an ATM table is displayed in the OSD menu, a viewer does not have to perform the auto scanning to search for the receivable channels. For example, the channel switches in the numerical order as shown in the ATM table as the viewer presses channel up-down keys. FIG. 3 shows a display shown when an ATM menu 40 is selected from an OSD menu displayed on a screen 60 of an image displayer. Referring to FIG. 3, a method of setting channels by using the ATM table of FIG. 2 will be described.
The ATM menu 40 has a country setting menu 41 and a channel setting menu 42. The country setting menu 41 allows a viewer to select an ATM table of a certain country. If the viewer selects the country “Germany” through the country setting menu 41, the viewer selects and edits channels based on the ATM table as shown in FIG. 2. For example, by pressing channel up-down keys 51a, 51b with a cursor being located in the channel setting menu 42, the viewer can set broadcasting channels (e.g. ARD to MDR 3) and their corresponding channel numbers (e.g. 01 to 99). However, this channel setting method is somewhat complicated for the viewer, because, according to the ATM menu, the viewer has to see all the broadcasting channels (ADR˜MDR 3) displayed sequentially in the channel setting menu 42 with the pressing on the channel up-down keys 51a, 51b, select desired channels each time through a selection key 53, and then record/delete the selected channels. That is, compared to the auto scanning method as explained above through FIGS. 1A and 1B, the channel setting using the ATM table has an advantage in that the time for scanning the channels is decreased, but also has the disadvantage in that the viewer has to see all the broadcasting channels sequentially displayed in the OSD menu to select and record/delete the channels.